Return of Manbat
by MoEscoB
Summary: Gotham city has gotten out of control. The entire Batman balances mentoring his new daughter and fighting the crazed criminals of Gotham. what happens when the Bat Family gets a new... wilder member.  Slight OOC, i only own my character.  Oneshot


A feral friend

"Gotham City has become too big for one bat to handle. Lucky for you, one bat won't have to. We'll be in touch." Nightwing said before speeding off into the city night.

It was true. Gotham's city had expanded greatly and become a madhouse in the process. Joker and Harley Quinn had almost taken all of Gotham and every other super villain was attempting to claim the city for their own. Penguin, The Riddler, Freeze, Ivey, Croc, the list goes on. But Bruce refused to give up on his city. It was a heavy load to bear and it was constantly getting heavier. But thanks to Nightwing (Tim Drake), Robin (Damian Wayne), Batgirl (Barbra Gordon), Batwoman (Kate Kane), Blackbat (Cassandra Cain/Wayne), and even Catwoman (Selena Kyle), the city would never be without protection in the night.

Bruce looked out on the city from atop a gargoyle as helicopters spotlighted parts of the city and clouds covered the night sky.

"How long are you going to hang there?" he asked seemingly to no one. The sound of something falling threw the sky followed by an almost inaudible landing.

"You have to admit, I'm getting closer every time." A young female covered head to toe in black leather came and stood beside him.

"I knew the moment you got to the building. It was a smart choice using the tower as your vantage point." He said calmly but with an underlying tone of approval. That was all Cassandra really needed to smile under her mask

"The Ventriloquist is knocking over five banks in the financial district. Go give Nightwing a hand." He said sternly.

Without another word, she was gliding into the heart of the city and he was in the rafters of the cathedral. The rest of the night, he moved more cautiously than normal. There were eyes all over Gotham, very few even knew where to look for him and none could follow him. But tonight there was something… a constant presence. After dropping in on Two-face, Batman got caught up with rescuing a hostage and it looked like he was going to get away. He grabbed the hostage and leapt through a window into an alley just as the building burst into flames. The girl ran from the dark alley to the flashing lights of Gotham P.D. out in the street. Commissioner Gordon slipped away from everyone to talk get more information from Batman.

"Any idea where he went?" He asked while standing at the edge of the building, hoping Batman was still in the alley.

"No. He got away during the explosion. There was no time." He said quietly but gruffly.

"Alright. Looks like this will be a long night." The commissioner sighed and rubbed his head before an ambulance shook hard with a loud thump followed by the sound of someone struggling.

"Hey Comish… you might wunna come see this." An officer called from across the street. Gordon rushed over to find Two-face attached to the side of the vehicle by some kind of green adhesive and his suite was slashed and torn.

"Manbat!" Gordon said out loud.

"Langstrom…" Batman said narrowing his eyes and taking off to the rooftop. He glided across the city to Arkham and used his sonar to check Langstrom's cell… he was still there. "Kirk what are you up to…?" Batman made his way back to the cave and hacked Arkham's security feed.

"Penny for your thoughts Master Wayne." Alfred said while pouring a cup of tea.

"It makes no sense Alfred. Kirk hasn't left his cell and according to these files hasn't made any attempt to further his serum while at Arkham.

"Has anyone else had access to his research sir?" Alfred asked still standing perfectly erect.

"Not that I know of. All of his paperwork went up in the fire after his first transformation.

"Perhaps Gotham has yet another Bat in her skies Master Wayne. At least this one has chosen not to side with the scoundrels you and the others deal with every night." He said with a nod.

"Maybe Alfred. But it's too soon to tell. I'll need a sample of that bile to compare against Langstrom's " He said curiously.

"Way ahead of you…" Cassandra said dropping to Alfred's side with a generous sample of the bile that restrained Two-face.

"Nightwing…" Bruce asked after taking the sample from her.

"Damian showed up ahead of me and they are taking care of it. Barbra and Kate should be arriving soon." Cassandra said evenly as Bruce began examining the bile and comparing it to the data he already had from his last encounter with Manbat.

"Good. Everyone should be briefed on this." Bruce said rubbing his chin. The samples had similar qualities, but this new sample was far more complex than the original. What's more is there a trait from a number of different bats in the new one.

"Lengstrom's research focused solely on vampire bats. According to the analysis the new sample contains traits from Leporinus, and Pallidus… " He started.

"Fisherman and Pallidus Bats." Cassandra said flatly.

"As well as Rousettus aegyptiacus and Pteropus Vampirus." Bruce finished.

"Egyptian fruit bat and the flying fox." Cassandra said pulling up images of all four bats.

"What can a combination of these bats give us? Bruce asked as Cassandra pointed out prominent features of each bat.

Endurance, Speed, excellent hearing as well as eyesight and sense of smell, strength and size. All in all we could be looking at a very dangerous new Manbat." Cassandra said clenching her fist.

"But no vampire bats… this combination suggests a diet of fruit, fish and small mammals. Assuming small pests are replaced with small birds, this Manbat is likely omnivorous and no more likely to prey on humans than Alfred.

"What shall you do with this information Master Wayne?" Alfred asked handing Cassandra a coup of tea.

Before he could answer, Batwoman's black and red motorcycle followed by Batgirls black and yellow motorcycle pulled into the lower levels of the cave. With a quick zip line, Batwoman and Batgirl joined the group and were looking at the images on the monitor.

"Trying to identify all the bats in the cave?" Barbra asked playfully.

"Or maybe he's looking for a new pet." Kate added with a smirk.

"A new Manbat has entered Gotham." Cassandra said sternly bringing their giggle to a halt.

"You mean more freaks like Langstrom? That's just what we need a vampire on the loose." Barbra said glaring at the screen

"This ones not a vampire." Bruce responded standing from his seat and covering his face.

"Where are you going?" Kate asked as he headed toward the edge of the platform.

"Open market at the harbor. This bat eats fish and fruit, and there are plenty of both down there. If we are going to meet this new bat, we need to find him before he decides to find us." He finished before leaping down to his blue/black bat-mobile followed quickly by Cassandra taking her own full black motorcycle and zooming out of the cave.

"Geeze, we just got here and it's already time to go back out." Barbra said irritated.

"Yes Ms. Gordon, but if Master Wayne's prediction is correct, this new bat may be more than he and the young miss are prepared for." Alfred said hintingly.

"He's right. The flying fox is the largest species of bat in the world. Just because it wont eat them doesn't mean it wont cause trouble." Kate said before turning toward a different exit of the cave.

"Fine, but this thing better not have rabies." Barbra said following her. The two chose to glide over to the harbor and keep an eye on them from a distance.

Batman and Blackbat watched the sky and crowd of people intensely searching for anything out of the ordinary. At first nothing stood out until Bruce spotted a man with an abnormally large amount of fruit duck between a couple large boats docked on the pier. They both moved closer to investigate. Cassandra quietly landed on the smaller of the two ships while Bruce took to the darkest shadows on the pier.

"Nothing up here." Cassandra said quietly over her com. surveying the area for movement.

"Same, looks like they chose to ditch the cart and maybe go for a swim." He moved closer to the cart to see a large black trench coat draped over it.

He spotted a few large pieces of bread floating in the water. He watched as multiple small fish nipped at the bread. Within moments larger fish were circling the bread either eating at the bread or at the smaller fish. Soon he spotted an even larger figure moving under the water toward the bait ball from across the water.

"Batman I've got movement at 3 O'clock high." Blackbat said quickly. Bruce barely managed to look up in time to see a large figure swoop down and snatch the huge fish out of the water.

"Hold your position. Lets see where he takes it first." He said anticipating Cassandra's eagerness to pursue the target. "Kate help me get this stuff on deck. I think it's time we meet our new winged friend."

In a few moments, Kate swooped over to Bruce's position and the two used their grappling hooks to hoist the cart and its content to the deck of the larger boat. Blackbat and Batgirl soon joined them and scanned the sky for Manbat.

"How long are you going to keep us waiting?" Bruce asked to seemingly no one. It was then that a large fish was tossed up on deck. Barbra and Kate flinched and squirmed as the fish flopped about.

"That is SERIOUSLY GROSS!" Barbra said holding her crawling skin. She looked up to see Bruce and Cassandra turned toward her and looking up to the ship's radio tower.

"Thank you for bringing my meal up here. Normally I'm stuck eating below deck." A deep lightly hoarse voice said from high atop the vessel.

They all looked up to a large figure hanging upside down from the tower. He spread his wings and glided over their heads before landing next to the cart and slowly shifting his form. When the transformation was complete, he stepped into better light to reveal himself. He was a tall, toned, muscular, dark-skinned man in his twenties with short black hair and tattered jeans.

"The name's Edwards. Marcus Edwards."

"You working for Langstrom?" Batman asked bluntly. Cassandra unsheathed a couple of batterangs awaiting his response.

"Nah, but he sends his regards." He said raising his hand to calm them. "I became acquainted with him about a year ago at Arkham, and he was kind enough to share his findings with me. After discussing his… less than successful results I altered the formula to more favorable breeds of bat and perfected the transformation process." He finished while putting his trench coat on.

"So handsome, aside from the formula, what brings you to Gotham?" Barbra said after finally putting her eyes back into her head.

"An old friend." He said locking eyes with Batman. "Bronze Tiger." He said calmly. Batman was taken back, but didn't show it. Only Cassandra and Marcus were able to pick up on his light change in posture.

"What about him?" Bruce asked attempting to keep his curiosity hidden under protocol.

"After O-Sensei passed on, he took over the Dojo. He trained me to be the best and informed me my tallents would best be put to use here in Gotham. I met with Langstrom and the rest is history." Marcus said in an even tone.

"I see…'Batman! Things are getting crazy across town. Me and Damien still have our hands full with Wesker.' Bruce received the call over his com.

"Looks like we will have to continue this another time. Everyone lets move." He said before pressing a couple buttons on his wrist and leaping from the boat. After an explosion in the distance, Kate and Barbra forced themselves to stop gawking at Marcus long enough to take to their gliders and head back into the city.

"Will you not be joining them?" Marcus asked Cassandra.

"I'm just waiting on you. He said everyone, didn't he?" She asked cleverly.

Marcus gave a light smile before tossing his trench coat and transforming again. Cassandra had gotten a glimpse of him in the shadows but up close she was truly impressed by his towering size. Standing over seven feet tall and a wingspan of almost 20 feet, Marcus was now covered with thick brown fur, and had large eyes and ears with an almost fox like face.

"Lets go." He said before leaping into the air, doing a flip and following after the others. When he did his flip, Cassandra leapt up and landed on his back as he passed.

The team spent the night fighting some of Jokers flunkies attempting to clean out warehouses in Gotham's technological district. Batman was focused on pursuing The Joker and Harley, while Batgirl and Batwoman did there best to fight off the goons. Normally they would have made short work of petty thugs, but tonight Joker brought some of his strongest henchmen to move the heavy equipment and the deck was stacked against the heroines. The girls were backed into a corner by painted thugs with spiked bats chains and mallets. They giggle, snicker and grin as they closed in on their targets. Just as the pair braced themselves for the worst, three of the men were plastered to the side of a near by building and two more were taken out as Cassandra acrobatically dropped in on the scene.

"Let's finish this." Cassamdra said sternly after stepping off her unconscious targets. Barbra and Kate took their stances and the trio pounced back into action. Marcus circled around to help them, but after plastering another goon, Cassandra waved him off to go help Batman. He heard her loud and clear, and took off high into the sky.

"Give it up Joker. There's no way out." Bruce said moving threw a warehouse trying to locate the crime duo.

"Ya hear that Puddin? Batsy here thinks he can tell us what's what. Well look hear loser, there aint no stopping Mr. J. today. We got the whole crew together to put on a show fa Gotham." Harley mocked from behind crates and containers.

"And you're just in time fore the big finally Bats." Joker said sinisterly before turning on the lights to an industrial forklift and knocking a stack of crates to the ground attempting to crush Batman, but he repelled to the support beams of the building.

On his way up, Harley slugged him in the chest with a giant mallet. He hit the ground and immediately rolled knowing Joker would have something waiting for him. He quickly sprang to his feet as Joker stared punching and kicking at him. He was backed against a container and Joker jumped back just as Harley leapt over his head poised to crush Batman's head with her hammer. Just as she was closing in on him, she was snatched out of the air into the shadows. After some struggling, the sound of the warehouse winch is heard through the darkness and Harley is lowed into view bound by Manbat's bile. Helicopter spotlights shown through the window and three slender bat silhouettes projected into the room. As more light came in Marcus image could be made out hanging from the ceiling.

"It's over Joker." Kates voice said from by the windows. Joker looked up to see Marcus' large figure spread his wings and glide down to the shadows.

"All of Gotham will know. There's another bat in town. And I'm a real animal." Marcus said walking to Joker with a deadly glare in his eye.

"No wonder all of Gotham's going mad. It's all of these bat's in her belfry!" Joker said erupting into laughter. He made one last attempt to escape, but was knocked out cold by Batman. Sirens could be heard just outside and a team was ready to burst into the building. Just as the doors opened all five of them vanished without a trace.

The morning sun rose over Gotham and everyone dispersed throughout Gotham to keep up appearances. Children at school, adults at work, and philanthropists in front of every camera in Gotham. Even Marcus got a job part time at the harbor and as the grounds/gate keeper of Gotham cemetery. Damian would often spend afternoons with Tim while Cassandra hung out with Bruce in the cave, but this evening she decided to run off.

"What is you verdict Master Wayne?" Alfred asked while dusting different artifacts around the cave.

"He's fighting for Gotham and if he was trained by Bronze Tiger, then he can definitely hold his own." Bruce said confidently.

"Young Ms. Cassandra seems fond of him as well sir." Alfred said with a light smile.

"Well then it's decided." He finished before standing from his seat. "How long are you two going to keep hanging there?" He asked while looking to the ceiling with a teasing smirk. Cassandra and Marcus glided down from the darkness surprising Alfred.

"All of the entrances are wired to Master Wayne's computer. How ever did you enter the cave undetected?" Alfred asked regaining his composure.

"The catacombs under the cemetery." Cassandra said holding back a smile.

"Even the most elaborate maze is no trouble, all you have to do is listen." Marcus said tapping his ears. They all shared a good laugh before the monitor lit up with criminal activity marked at four locations in the city. Without a word, Marcus and Cassandra leapt from the platform and back out the way they came in while Bruce took to the sky.

"And so another long night begins." Alfred said as he went back to dusting.


End file.
